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Factors used to determine alimony in Maryland

During a marriage in Maryland couples earn various amounts of money and different lifestyles. How they earn the money to live the lifestyle they may become accustomed to also varies. One spouse may earn the majority of the money while the other stays home with the children or for other reasons. In other marriages couples may earn essentially the same amount of money and the financial contributions to the marriage are equal. There are also many couples who find themselves in between those two extremes.

This may not really matter during the marriage, but if the couple divorces how the couple earned money and how much they earned can be very important. If one spouse earned all or most of the money, once the couple divorces the spouse who did not work may have a difficult time paying for the new expenses that result when the spouses now have two different residences and lives.

In some situations, the spouse who earned the majority of the money may need to pay the other alimony for a period of time after the divorce. To determine whether a spouse will pay alimony and also to determine how much and for how long, the court analyzes a number of different factors.

Those factors include, but are not limited to, the spouse seeking alimony’s ability to earn an income, time necessary to either get a job or get the necessary education, the standard of living during the marriage; the length of the marriage; the age of both spouse’s and their mental and physical health; the financial resources and assets received by both spouses, the paying spouse’s ability to pay and others.

Many couples in Maryland divorce each year. Marriages are unique and therefore each divorce is unique as well and the outcomes will be unique as well. There is not a calculator to determine alimony and that decision will be based on the unique circumstances of the marriage. So, the amount and duration one may pay alimony can vary greatly. Experienced attorneys understand the factors used to determine alimony and may be able to guide one through the process.